Darcy and the Dirty Dozen

by Ryan

I want free candy.

Well, Brooks Orpik, that is. In fact, there are a lot of players that I would love to see on my team, and now is the time to dream. Until July 1st, anyone who wasn't ours this season won't sign with the Sabres, but it sure is fun to think about who we can get.

We already know that Dimitri Kalinin won't be back, so that frees up a D spot. Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera came along nicely, but we are officially short a big body on the blueline. If Mike Ryan leaves and Dan Paille gets an offer sheet... who knows what will happen to this team?

Offer sheets. Oh man. There are some within the game that think this summer may be the year of the offer sheet, with restricted free agents given offers from other teams as a way to lure talent outside of free agency. Kevin Lowe fired the opening salvo last summer with Vanek and Dustin Penner, and many believe GMs will either be emboldened by the move or seek their own contractual revenge.

One such team searching for hypothetical revenge would be the Sabres, and it is rumored that Darcy Regier is looking to make a splash this summer. Then again, it's rumored that Verne Troyer's interim status as head coach of the Leafs may become permanent, so what do I know?

With that in mind, let's look at the group TSN called "The Dirty Dozen."

No, these aren't a bad batch of doughnuts, they are RFAs that may or may not be tendered offers if their current team screws the pooch. Going over the list, here are the players that seem to fit the bill for the Sabres.

Jay Bouwmeester

Mike Green

Andrej Meszaros

Shea Weber

If you know the names you may have noticed a theme there. Bouwmeester and Weber are both big blueliners with rising stocks that may compliment the current roster very nicely. Making a big move with either would open up the chance to re-sign Nolan Pratt for cheap and still have enough to sign Teppo if he decides to return.

Mike Green is a great offensive player, and we seem to have a lot of those types on the blue line at the moment, but would you really be upset with him on your team? The same goes for Meszaros, who has always been a thorn in the Sabres' collective side. Plus, how good would it feel to take away one of Ottawa's defenseman? Everyone knows they are looking hard at Brian Campbell, why not take their budding d-man away and let the big minutes rest with Soupy?

If any of the above sounds ridiculous, you aren't alone. More than likely Darcy will spend the summer begging Ryan Miller to take The Lundqvist Deal and pray Jason Pominville's agent is related to Boots Del Baggio. We won't make a move in Group 2 and will sign another rental backup goalie with no wheels, forcing Miller to play 70+ games again. This will make him search for greener pastures, forcing me to subsequently search for a nice place to dive into the gorge.

However, now is the time for the "maybes" and the "what ifs" and the "no freaking ways." Let's talk about who you want, what they will cost, and who we can really get. Everyone has ideas about what direction this team should go, so why not explore them? When we really dig into this we will start with the players we currently have, but for today read that list over and tell me who you think we can really get.

Everyone loves free candy, but if you can't have it; why not go for some poetic justice?